SOL REPUBLIC DECK Wireless Speaker Review & Giveaway

The coolest thing arrived on my doorstep on Christmas Eve.  I was able to welcome the SOL REPUBLIC DECK Wireless Speaker into my home! 

Deck_package2  Deck_package

I’ve been looking at wireless speaker options for well over a year but couldn’t decide what I wanted.  I’m NOT a techy person.  I don’t even like to change the batteries in my Knuckle Lights, and that’s the truth.  Hubby does all the computer, tv, music stuff.   Aby handles it when he isn’t home.  I’d rather be running than trying to figure out where to plug in things to make them work.  So there you have it.  I’m not techy.  And I don’t want to be.

So when the DECK arrived I was nervous.  Hubby wasn’t home and I was excited and wanted to try it out immediately.  It needed to charge so that got me off the hook for a bit but it charged quickly and hubby arrived home in the interim.  Once it was charged, things were so simple that even I could handle it!  It hooks up to any Bluetooth ready device and will allow up to 5 different devices to hook up at once (if you want to share!).  I went into the Bluetooth settings on my iPhone and paired the DECK and the phone.  It recognized it immediately.  We then paired Aby’s phone and Hubby’s phone for kicks.  Then the fun really began.  When you are in multiple user mode and have more than one phone connected, anyone can control the music (unless you lock them out).  SOL REPUBLIC has coined the term “Heist Mode” for multiple users and anyone can “heist” the song selection by choosing a song from their Bluetooth ready device.  Each time a heist occurs, the speaker lights up in a different color to signify the user who has made the “heist”.  In the pic below I am heisting in green, Aby was red and hubby was blue. 

Deck_heist

We eventually connected the iPad too and it was purple but we have yet to connect a 5th device. 

The DECK is so much fun and we have really enjoyed playing with it and just having something so portable to move around the house.  I’m looking forward to using it in a party setting tomorrow night on New Year’s Eve!  Not everyone in our house has the same music taste so we are always fighting over the music selection.  Always.  And someone, usually multiple someone’s, lose the fight.  No losing the battle anymore, everyone gets to play their favorite songs! 

Thru the DECK we have played, iTunes, CDs, mp3s, Pandora and YouTube.  All of these music options worked well and had great sound.  Kids prefer a YouTube video playing on the iPad with the music blasting on the DECK but I was pretty happy with all the options plus it would never have occurred to me to load a YouTube video to watch & listen to simultaneously.  Never.

If you want the technical info, please read the press release HERE or go to the Best Buy website HERE where the DECK Wireless Speaker retails for $199.  My non-techy self just knows 1)  that it’s easy to use and pair with multiple devices,  2) the Heist Mode is SUPER fun, 3)  there is an outdoor mode that I will love when spring/summer rolls around and we are outside ALL the time, 4)  I can easily carry it around with me from room to room, 5)  It comes in multiple color options, including bright colors in case your kids drop it in the grass or somewhere in the woods, 6) It will pick up phone calls too if  in “individual” mode and playing music from one’s phone, 7)  It comes with plugs and wires for devices which I may want to hook up that aren’t Bluetooth/wireless compatible like I’d ever do that, and lastly, I know that it SOUNDS GOOD.  I’m very picky about my sound.  I won’t even buy a car that has crappy speakers and I don’t want any poor speakers in (or out) of the house.  Music is important to me.  Love this thing!

Deck2

If you don’t believe my non-techy review, then I guess I’ll let you know that Hubby LOVES the DECK too.  He is obsessed with it and has even been using it when I’m not home.  This really is an amazing family gift!  We love it and if you are in the market for a wireless speaker, this is a good one. 

Do you want to win a DECK Wireless Speaker, $199 retail?  Of course you do!   To be eligible to win, please comment below and tell me how you blast your music now.  Do you have a wireless speaker, if so which brand?  Do you use a stereo or maybe the TV?  What do you do when you are outside?  I certainly hope you haven’t been pulling a massive speaker out of the house like I have for the last 10 years, but if so, it’s okay cuz I can relate.  Smile   Tell me!  Giveaway starts NOW and I will draw one winner on Friday, January 3rd, 2014 at 9am via  a random number generator.  One entry per person. 

I have also seen giveaways for the DECK Wireless Speaker on the SOL REPUBLIC Facebook page.  So if you want extra opportunities to win one of these babies, like them on Facebook HERE and follow them on Twitter HERE.

Good luck! 

** Jamming To My Favorite Tunes Til I Get Heisted ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

138 thoughts on “SOL REPUBLIC DECK Wireless Speaker Review & Giveaway

    • Yeah, probably not. I mean, there aren’t any “real” rules other than what I dictate but I’m not going to let you win. Sorry, honey!

      On Mon, Dec 30, 2013 at 11:30 AM, TooTallFritz

  1. Currently I “blast” (Ha!) off my music player to be best of its ability. I had a nice set up of a speakers when I lived in Texas but when I moved across the country, it didn’t make the essentials cut and therfore is still in Texas. This would be a great way to listen to my jams without being tethered down to earphones or cords!

  2. I blast my music through a five-year old iPod docking station for the most part (or through computer speakers). No options for outside though, since I need a power outlet. Haha, I also LOVE the first comment by the hubby!

  3. I always listen to music. When in my kitchen I use an under the cabinet mounted Sony player. Otherwise, bringout the old school boombox that happens to have a spot for my ipod

  4. I used to listen through my Droid. Now we updated to iPhones and I can’t figure out how to get music without giving them all my money. Boo! Back to the mp3 player I guess. Otherwise we use the stereo in the house. Pretty dull. Ha!

  5. Would love to win this. Currently I just plug my ipod in to the television and leave the windows open to hear it outside in the summer. Summer — ah, how I miss summer!

  6. I generally use ,my iphone to blast my music and typically do so when I am running. Sometimes I get strange looks when I run by someone and my music is playing really loud. I ran nine miles with Christmas music a couple of weeks ago I think people who were walking around me thought I was nuts!

  7. I usually blast my music by singing very loudly, much to the disappointment of my family…If I won speakers, they would help drown out the sound of my beautiful singing!!

  8. I blast my music in a myriad of ways. Some through my xbox/ps3 stereo combonation in the main part of the house, but in the bedroom its the poor tv speakers that get used.

  9. I blast my music on an ihome. It really sucks because the speaker has really bad volume control. It never suits me. It’s either too loud or too soft. Never in between. 😦

  10. I put my phone in a salsa bowl in the kitchen and blast it! My daughter got a play potty for her doll and that works great as a phone speaker too. Do you think I need to upgrade? 🙂

  11. TV, Computer, IPod and yes even the radio for inside. Outside we have a set of deck speakers from Brookstone that we bought way to many years ago!

  12. These days, I have been playing music in the house from the TV Sirius channels. We have outdoor speakers on the deck, but would love a more portable device like this that we could play from anything!

  13. Currently we hook our devices up to our satellite radio box that we drag around everywhere. Of course you have to make sure you have the cord where you can find it. 🙂

  14. I blast my music through my note II. Nothing like sitting on my porch in a man thong while listening to the Proclaimers…my neighbors in the apartment complex hate me

  15. Rock the older surround sound in the Garage. Nice system in my truck. I spend all day at work in there so i CRANK it. Home theater is a bit lacking at the moment with just basic speakers. Happy new year to you all

  16. I like to put the Old Style on ice, invite my old gear head buddies over, drag the big ass house speakers out onto the deck, and crank some classic rock while grilling up some burgers and brats.

  17. I currently blast my music through my Boston Acoustics speakers. I always wanted to try sending my 80’s music through a wireless system. I’m a player for the new stuff!!

  18. I currently jam out with my yurbuds – which is basically for my own enjoyment. And my husband has a speaker system thingy that I know nothing about. But THIS sounds right up my alley!

  19. Now i have a usb connected to my tv that i blast when im outside, i either open my windows of the house or out earbuds in. But then i find myself shakingmy booty in the yard and everyone thinks im nuts 🙂

  20. In the house, I blast my music through my PC speakers (surround w/ subwoofer) and outside… well I don’t have anything to blast it with out there!!!

  21. I use bluetooth motorola headphones right now. I don’t typically play music outloud but if I do, I either just deal with the sound from my phone or use an old fashioned boom box. Yes, I need this! lol

  22. My 8 year-old son has a Bluetooth wireless speaker for his iPod touch because he is way hipper than anyone else in the fam…but we prefer not to listen to his music collection. We actually have hardwired speakers in our backyard. The problem is, they are not loud enough so you can only hear them if you are right beside them. We are currently lame, but would love to become the cool kids and win the Deck speaker!

  23. I blast my music with a cheapo speaker that takes batteries and sound often gets distorted…it’s not cool! We love listening to music outside on our deck…but again it’s on a “boom box” type system. Yeah need one of these!

  24. I blast my music on my phone or in my car and when I am at home, I crank it up on the TV! Thanks for the chance to win!!! 🙂

  25. Ok. 1) I play my music out of my old detachable computer speakers from my 2001 computer. 2) this thing looks awesome, especially “heist” mode!

  26. I have a Bluetooth Bose which I bought for my husband 2 years ago, and he has not had it since the day I gave it to him. I love portable music!! I have it hooked up to my ipad and listen to siriusxm all day long. It would be nice to give it back to my husband considering it was his Christmas gift!! lol. I liked their facebook page also!!!

  27. With three teens, I *never* get to listen to what I want! The only music being blasted is from the radio and when I want to listen to my big hair/heavy metal/80s music, I pull out my earbuds and rock on without listening to the complaints!

  28. I’ve mostly been using my phone for music. The audio quality isn’t great and the flip cover makes it a pain. It’s that or I use the TV music channels and crank it up enough to hear it where I’m working, much to the annoyance of my family in the rest of the house!

  29. Since I got my iPhone 5s, I’ve been forced to use the speakers on my phone when working out in the garage, although I’ve got an older iPhone with a Logitech speaker. This thing would be awesome for my home WODs!

  30. I currently use a small speaker you have to plug into through the port. Not fun at all. Would love a Bluetooth Speaker for the wireless use!

  31. I play music through the TV or else I just play it through my headphones so noone else hears. It’s not worth waking sleeping children sometimes. The kids do love when I play music through the TV… this would be awesome!

    I like them on Facebook and follow on Twitter (jbean119)

  32. I just play music/radio through my small stereo that is at least 20 years old. In the summer I have all the windows open and stereo turned up so I can hear it on my deck or while I work in my flower beds….. I liked them on Facebook too!!!

  33. I use the speakers on my computer or TV – If I’m outside, I do not have any form of portable speaker. So… this would be perfect for me! Thanks for the chance!

  34. Um. Shhhh, but i steal my hubby’s shop radio. When he isn’t home, though, i have to resort to earphones with my iphone (since i just lost my mini ipod!). 🙂

  35. I would love to have a speaker like this, I am stuck plugging in ear buds, with a baby in college, speakers aren’t very high on our list :/ #doinallwecantohelpbabygirlgetthroughschool

  36. I listen to music through our TV. I pick the music according to the mood of the house, or how fast we have to clean, or to set the tone to help with homework. At school, I blast Pandora over the sound system to help motivate the physical education students to do there best and to enjoy movement and activities!

  37. I listen to music through my iphone, I have playlists made out and just turn my volume all the way up.. it’s not the best but it works for now! I love to listen to music when I’m running on the treadmill or just relaxing around the house!

  38. I’m an iPod girl (i assume everyone is) and mostly listen to music through my headphones. Like you I’m an technology challenged and would love these based on how easy you said they were.

  39. I actually have been meaning to get some wireless speakers. I have some sad computer speakers that I plug my phone into when I want listen to music at home, but they are old school, plug-into-the-wall, so I can’t move them throughout the apartment (they stay in the bedroom, which which doesn’t make any sense). When we want music in the living/dining room, we usually play one of Comcast’s music channels on the TV, which is OK but not as many options as the many streaming radio apps I have on my iPhone.

  40. I listen to music all the time. To have the ability to move them outside in the summer and throughout the house year round would be awesome. I have to have music playing!! I used a pair of blow up speakers until the power supply crapped out. I picked up some clearance speakers from work until I can get a blue tooth speaker system. Nice non techy review btw. A great product is no good if you can’t make it work.

  41. I would love to win this!! I use an iPod dock to play music, but my kids take it over, I’d love to have my own!!!

  42. We have been using small battery-operated Creative speakers from many, many years ago that are starting to die … so it would be awesome to win this! Love listening to music on the deck both at home or on vacation!

  43. If we are outside…..we open up the front (or back door and blast the music super loud. Otherwise, we either hook up the Ipod to the stereo, or listen thru the stereo. pretty old school

  44. We listen to our music on an iPod dock or the computer so this would be awesome!!
    Liked on f’n and following on twitter 🙂

  45. I’m so behind the times- I use battery operated plus in speakers when I’m outside or at the beach. They’re the same ones I’ve had since I was 19!!!! That would be a welcome update. Maybe enough to motivate me to resume marathon training, lol. Loving this break since the HUFF.

  46. I am like you and my husband hooks up and operates all the stereo speakers. When he isn’t home to help me then I just turn the music stations on the TV or max volume on my iPhone or iPad!!

  47. I play it directly out of my iPhone speaker because that’s all I’ve got! Lol. I don’t even bother with headphones around the house because I need to be able to hear if my kids are fighting. Haha. So I guess I could really use something like this! 🙂

  48. I have some old computer speakers with subwoofer that I’ve had for nearly 10 years. I plug it into my laptop or my phone into the headphone jack. This wireless speaker is 1/10th the size

  49. I rock out via my kitchen under the cabinet radio which gets a total of 2 radio stations, but I always turn it into a one person dance party. My other option is good old pandora blasting from my phone on speaker!

  50. We had an awesome Bose Docking station but left it outside last summer after a late night/morning party. It rained. No more Bose! Since then we play most of our music on the TV, but would really appreciate a great wireless speaker, especially before next summer.

  51. I don’t have a way to blast music! I just play my songs straight from my phone, so this speaker would be wonderful to have! 🙂

  52. I use my TV when I’m indoors, but I don’t actually own speakers for outdoors. I would love to Chang that, though. 🙂

  53. We have a wireless speaker but it is wonky! It would be great to have a fully functional one–perfect for at home workouts and impromptu dance parties!

  54. I’m still rocking an Ipod Shuffle. It refuses to die and as a poor 35yr old returning college student I won’t replace it until it kicks the bucket. One day I will join the realm of misfits and buy something I can ACTUALLY customize. I have a set of really old raspy speakers from my old desktop computer that I hook up my killer shuffle for some tunes. My fiance would be very happy to see them thrown away. Hahahaha!

  55. I’d use this at school to listen to music in my dorm and outside when hanging out and doing homework. Really anytime I’d listen to music. It’s a pain to have to plug things in and hook things up sometimes.

  56. Currently we “blast” tv through either the tv speakers or some vintage 1970s speakers. When outside in the pool we bring out the boom box with the freshly broken antenna. You’re jealous I can tell 😉

  57. I blast my music when I’m cleaning, so it sure would be nice to be able to carry it from room to room. (I’m sure the rest of the family would appreciate that, also, as I crank it to the max when I’m cleaning the back rooms!)

  58. I just use the speaker on my Samsung s3, and I use a glass bowl to amplify the sound when working in the kitchen.

  59. Right now I’m using a stereo I bought back in college. It has served me well for many years but it’s nearing time to put it out to pasture. LCD display and volume controls are starting to go. This would be great for the house as most of our music is played through our iphones.

  60. Blasting music in my house really means 3 teenage girls trying to outblast each other on their PCs. Makes for an interesting mix of music. During the summer, the one outdoor speaker that still works gets heavy use from an ipod hookup. Sadly, my own jams are often from the blown car speakers.

  61. I do not currently have a wireless speaker but have been wanting to get one. Currently I blast my music on my computer speakers that are Bose. They’re great but I can’t move from where they are!

  62. These days, I blast my music through the speakers in my car, through my computer, or directly through my iPhone. Used to have an iHome, but it got all funky on me and didn’t work as well as I had hoped. Something like this would be really neat to have on hand! 🙂

  63. ACDC, David Bowie, Rush and Kid Rock are the tunes that blast through my head phones on my long runs……I’m on the Highway to Hell….Bawitdaba…..So Hott!!!

  64. i dont have wireless speakers when i’m on the go so i’ve been just using headphones, if i’m at home i just play it through my tv.

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